Russian River Salvation

Salvation is one of Russian River Brewing’s Salvation belongs to the “-tion” series of named beers which fall into two categories: sour and non-sour. This is one of the non-sour beers. Russian River, in my opinion, is one of the finest brewers of authentic Belgian-style beer in the United States. The three most commonly available are Damnation (always available) and then Redemption and Salvation, which are in and out pretty frequently. The Salvation is their version of a Belgian Dark Strong Ale.

Taste: Chocolate, toffee, mocha with touches of roast grains. Rich and warming. A bit of fusel alcohols. A long pleasant finish.

Overall Impression: This is an excellent example of an American-brewed Belgian-style dark strong ale. It has perhaps a touch more roasted notes than might be traditional, but nothing that’s out of balance and just ends up being a unique feature of this beer. Enjoy it on a cold winter day (or summer day as I did) with some bread pudding or some roast beef. This beer has a lot to offer in a food pairing as long as the food is robust enough to stand up to it.

Availability: In select cities and bottle shops around the Western US and Philadelphia.